Suspected TB case at Mercer Middle School

Next week, eighth-graders at Mercer Middle School will have their forearms checked for a bump about the size of a pencil eraser.

The bump indicates the student was possibly exposed to tuberculosis and will require further testing.

Chatham County Health Department officials are recommending the TB skin-test screenings for all 246 Mercer eighth-graders and staff now that a fellow eighth-grader is being treated for a suspected case of TB.

Students who rode a school bus with the student should also be screened, public health officials said.

About 300 notification letters were mailed Thursday to parents of possibly exposed students. To have your child screened, you must sign a consent form which is included in the letter.

The free skin-test screenings are a way to investigate any possible exposure to students and staff.

But the risk is minimal, said Dr. Diane Weems, chief medical officer for the Chatham County Health Department, because TB is rarely spread to persons who spend brief amounts of time together.

"The good news about TB is we can treat it, we can easily screen for it and it's not as easily transmissible as the common cold,'' Weems said.

Chatham County typically has about 10-15 TB cases per year. Currently, nine patients are being treated for TB including the newest case of the student.

On Wednesday, public health officials said a young adult Savannah female also has a suspected case of TB. Health workers are also tracing her close personal contacts and having them screened for the infectious disease.

Weems said the two new cases do not appear to be related "as far as we know at this time.''

TB is spread via droplets when someone with TB coughs, sneezes or talks. Tiny droplets of saliva or mucus are expelled into the air, which can be inhaled by another person, according to eMedicineHealth.com.

The typical $15 fee for TB screenings has been waived for Mercer students and staff as part of the investigation.

David Fields, executive director of human resources for Savannah-Chatham public schools said the school system supports the health department's efforts to screen students and staff.

Here's what you can expect to happen when screened:

A small amount of protein is injected just under the skin of the forearm. After 48-72 hours, a health care worker can look at your forearm for the small bump that indicates possible exposure.

It's possible to have the germ, but not develop the disease, Weems said. Only about 10 percent of people infected with the germ ever develop TB.

The two new cases bring the total number of people being treated with TB in Chatham County to nine. Chatham had 10 cases in 2004 and 17 in 2003.

The eighth-grader with the suspected case, whose name, age and gender were not released, is at home undergoing treatment for the disease. Test results to confirm whether it's TB are expected to take two to six weeks.

The student's TB symptoms included coughing up blood. Treatment includes taking medications and usually lasts about six months. Weems said the student is expected to be able to return to school when classes resume next fall.

TB kills millions of people yearly worldwide, mostly in Third World countries, but TB deaths in the United States are rare, Weems said.